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The Kelpies look INCREDIBLE!!!! What are Kelpies? They are a pair of gigantic steel sculptures in the shapes of horse's heads. They stand tall over the landscape at about a height of a 10 story building. Very, Very, Very impressive piece of work!! You can find these beauties at Helix Park in Falkirk, Scotland. It is well worth taking the time to visit. There is a large parking lot. From the parking lot, it is an easy stroll to the Kelpies. The closer you get to them, the more magnificent the sight. Tours are available a few times per day. Unfortunately, we did not have time to take one of the tours. So, I do not know anything about the history of the Kelpies. All I can say is that seeing these Majestic sculptures in person was one of the highlights of our time in Scotland. They are not to be missed!!
The Kelpies in Falkirk were my first stop after picking up my rental car at Edinburgh Airport on my second day in-country in Scotland in July 2019. I arrived around 12:20 p.m. on Saturday 6 July 2019 and found that parking was still easy to find, however, by the time I left about half an hour later cars were circling for spots. Two tall metallic Kelpies can be seen on approach by foot from the parking lot. The path was paved and level. In front of the Kelpies is a pool of sorts, that was quiet when I visited, which made for some cool imagery with the reflections of the Kelpies in the water. Moats around the base of each Kelpie are a means of keeping people from climbing/touching the sculptures at any given contact with the ground. Grassy lawns around the sculptures, pavement, and pool, doubled as a lounging/picnic space.
I recall passing by the imposing figures of the Kelpies back in 2018 on a day trip from Edinburgh to Loch Ness/Glen Coe, but finally got to stop by recently to see them up close. I don't know much about these horses of Scottish mythology, but these sculptures are really well done, and are picturesque in any kind of Scottish weather, whether it be sun or clouds or rain. A tour guide explained that one faces heaven while the other faces hell. While some may dub it a roadside attraction, it's a really well done artsy installation, and welcomes visitors with nice facilities including a cafe, restrooms, and benches for sitting. I'm not sure whether or not it's a common occurrence, but some random guy showed up in a kilt playing the bagpipes during my visit; it doesn't get any more Scottish than that! While I probably wouldn't recommend anybody go out if their way to visit, it's a great place to stretch your legs in Falkirk between Edinburgh and Scottish Highland destinations.
Nice drive to the Kelpies which is two large sculptures of horse's heads. Interesting architecture designs. We also had lunch in the visitors cafe. My wife and auntie had heggis which is a kind of Irish sausage.!it was very good and tasty. I stuck with two slices of pepperoni pizza. Pizza was like our store bought.i should have had the heggis and fries.
We visited the Kelpie's as part of a Highland tour that we did with Rabbies tours and it was one of the highlights of my trip. Even though it was cold and rainy we still had a great time underneath the giant kelpie sculptures. On a sunny day I imagine it would be absolutely gorgeous. I also grabbed a coffee from the little coffee cart on the grounds as well as a snack to take with me on the bus and it was ideal to have something warm to hold in the chilly weather. We also used the bathrooms; they were clean and satisfactory.
Yelp 100 Challenge 2019 - # 55/100 Such an awesome sight to behold. The Kelpies are two horse head structures about 30 meters (100 feet) high. Construction started in Mid-2013 and was completed in November that same year. This was a project for the communities in Falkirk, Scotland. You can go inside the structures only through the Kelpie tour. The fee is about £7.50 for adult, 2 children free for each paid adult. They have a gift shop and cafe when walking to and around the Kelpies has gotten you hungry. The toilets were clean, parking spaces were adequate during out visit.
It's a great place to dog walk. It does get busy, hence the star off, but if you walk further round to the Helix park it is much more open and less crowded. That also has a nice large lake with swans and pedal boats (pre-pandemic). Kelpies has open and fairly clean toilets plus places to buy a tea, coffee and cake or ice cream!
We drove past them on the highway and I tried hard to take a good picture but as an added surprise, our tour guide stopped for an hour to give us time to explore the park. Entrance is free and a great place to enjoy. They are reported to be the to be the tallest horse sculpture in the world standing at 100 ft tall. They are an impressive sight! read more
7 months ago
We drove past the Kelpies several times the past few years. Visible from far away on the M9. This time we decided to spend a little time here. And indeed it's actually well worth the hype! Parked at the Helix carpark, just a short walk away. With a fixed rate of only 3.50£. It's really great that visiting The Kelpies if free of charge. As well as the grounds and the Helix Park south of the carpark. Public toilets, some food stalls and a souvenir shop are located on the grounds. The Kelpies represent the lineage of the heavy horse of Scottish industry and economy, pulling the wagons, ploughs, barges, and coalships that shaped the geographical layout of the Falkirk area. The Kelpies are 30 metres (98 ft) high and weigh 300 tonnes each, built of structural steel with a stainless steel cladding. It's an impressive sight - an amazing sight. It's a popular place to visit. But we've chosen a late afternoon and many visitors were gone already. A good decision, took some good pics. Walked along the canal heading east for a bit. Then along the canal heading south back to the carpark. Almost had the paths to ourselves. There's a lot more to walk, to see and to discover. Including a several mile long circle path (through the town). Surely a thing we will do next time. Was a lot more interesting, prettier and rewarding than we thought. We will definitely be back. read more
The Kelpies were a very cool place to stop. You can book a tour inside of the sculptures, which I didn't have the time to do, but there is also loads of grounds to explore throughout. The grounds also include a couple of gift shops and spots for coffee and snacks. read more
1 year ago
The Kelpies look INCREDIBLE!!!! What are Kelpies? They are a pair of gigantic steel sculptures in the shapes of horse's heads. They stand tall over the landscape at about a height of a 10 story building. Very, Very, Very impressive piece of work!! You can find these beauties at Helix Park in Falkirk, Scotland. It is well worth taking the time to visit. There is a large parking lot. From the parking lot, it is an easy stroll to the Kelpies. The closer you get to them, the more magnificent the sight. Tours are available a few times per day. Unfortunately, we did not have time to take one of the tours. So, I do not know anything about the history of the Kelpies. All I can say is that seeing these Majestic sculptures in person was one of the highlights of our time in Scotland. They are not to be missed!! read more
1 year ago
The Kelpies in Falkirk were my first stop after picking up my rental car at Edinburgh Airport on my second day in-country in Scotland in July 2019. I arrived around 12:20 p.m. on Saturday 6 July 2019 and found that parking was still easy to find, however, by the time I left about half an hour later cars were circling for spots. Two tall metallic Kelpies can be seen on approach by foot from the parking lot. The path was paved and level. In front of the Kelpies is a pool of sorts, that was quiet when I visited, which made for some cool imagery with the reflections of the Kelpies in the water. Moats around the base of each Kelpie are a means of keeping people from climbing/touching the sculptures at any given contact with the ground. Grassy lawns around the sculptures, pavement, and pool, doubled as a lounging/picnic space. read more
3 years ago
These are the most incredible sculptures I've ever seen. Written description could never do them justice. I was here in 2015 right after they first opened. I saw them again this year. The parking is great, snack bar is great and really nice restrooms. Again, incredible sculptures. read more
I recall passing by the imposing figures of the Kelpies back in 2018 on a day trip from Edinburgh to Loch Ness/Glen Coe, but finally got to stop by recently to see them up close. I don't know much about these horses of Scottish mythology, but these sculptures are really well done, and are picturesque in any kind of Scottish weather, whether it be sun or clouds or rain. A tour guide explained that one faces heaven while the other faces hell. While some may dub it a roadside attraction, it's a really well done artsy installation, and welcomes visitors with nice facilities including a cafe, restrooms, and benches for sitting. I'm not sure whether or not it's a common occurrence, but some random guy showed up in a kilt playing the bagpipes during my visit; it doesn't get any more Scottish than that! While I probably wouldn't recommend anybody go out if their way to visit, it's a great place to stretch your legs in Falkirk between Edinburgh and Scottish Highland destinations. read more
2 years ago
Nice drive to the Kelpies which is two large sculptures of horse's heads. Interesting architecture designs. We also had lunch in the visitors cafe. My wife and auntie had heggis which is a kind of Irish sausage.!it was very good and tasty. I stuck with two slices of pepperoni pizza. Pizza was like our store bought.i should have had the heggis and fries. read more
We visited the Kelpie's as part of a Highland tour that we did with Rabbies tours and it was one of the highlights of my trip. Even though it was cold and rainy we still had a great time underneath the giant kelpie sculptures. On a sunny day I imagine it would be absolutely gorgeous. I also grabbed a coffee from the little coffee cart on the grounds as well as a snack to take with me on the bus and it was ideal to have something warm to hold in the chilly weather. We also used the bathrooms; they were clean and satisfactory. read more
6 years ago
Yelp 100 Challenge 2019 - # 55/100 Such an awesome sight to behold. The Kelpies are two horse head structures about 30 meters (100 feet) high. Construction started in Mid-2013 and was completed in November that same year. This was a project for the communities in Falkirk, Scotland. You can go inside the structures only through the Kelpie tour. The fee is about £7.50 for adult, 2 children free for each paid adult. They have a gift shop and cafe when walking to and around the Kelpies has gotten you hungry. The toilets were clean, parking spaces were adequate during out visit. read more
It's a great place to dog walk. It does get busy, hence the star off, but if you walk further round to the Helix park it is much more open and less crowded. That also has a nice large lake with swans and pedal boats (pre-pandemic). Kelpies has open and fairly clean toilets plus places to buy a tea, coffee and cake or ice cream! read more
2 years ago
The family at AtlasAdventured highly recommends visiting here! Stunning works of art! We saw them from the freeway and decided to get closer. As you get close you lose sight of them and we were like "how?! They're so big!" We turned into Helix Park, which has plenty of walking and biking trails, playgrounds, and cool sculptures throughout. The grounds are very well kept. There are two different parking lots, one closer to the park, and one close to the statues. Once you park, it is a little bit of a walk (an easy walk) to the statues, maybe 5 minutes. How awesome that you can walk right up to them! Plenty of photo opportunities from every angle. There is also a visitor center which includes a cute gift shop, restrooms, and cafe. They do offer tours of the statues, which allows you to see the inside of them! Our daughter loved being able to run all around and couldn't get over the size of the Kelpies. If you are ever in the area, I highly recommend planning a visit here. It's a whole day of fun, for free! And it's beautiful. read more
One of my favorites places in Scotland. A friend and I got to venture here on a day off from work and we arrived at dusk when The Kelpies turn on their color-changing light show. They're massive and very impressive when seen from the M9 and up-close. The amount of pieces it took to create these beauties is amazing and they're a must see while in Scotland. read more
3 years ago
11 years ago
Breathtaking, magnificent, wonderful beasties. The Kelpies really come into their own when you get right up close to them, although like their mythical counterparts they do seem to change their appearance as you approach them. Was that one's head at quite that angle? Weren't those ears a little flatter? Andy Scott is definitely Scotland's favourite sculptor at the moment, and these are without question his finest work to date. Even apart from the art, the sheer engineering complexity of the sculptures has you scratching your head wondering how on earth they managed to design them, never mind actually construct them. I've visited them 3 or 4 times at different hours of the day, and always found something new to appreciate. Today we did the 'official' guided tour, which lasts 45 minutes and takes you inside the 'head down' Kelpie, whose name is Duke. The other one is called Baron, and they were modelled on two working horses from Pollok Park in Glasgow. Andy actually brought both horses to see the finished sculptures, and we are told that they were very impressed with their likenesses. Although how they expressed that sentiment is beyond me. Anyway, Duke, the model for 'head down' Kelpie, left one of his horseshoes, which you can see inside his sculpture and stroke for luck if you go inside. Out tour guide was very entertaining (although the horse-related puns grew old really quickly), and you learn about the sculptor, the area, the canals and some myths and legends about kelpies. Yet unless you really want to see the inside of one of them, it's honestly not worth paying the price of the tour as you can just walk around yourself for free. The area is still rather underdeveloped, and is a bit of a 'work in progress', so I'm only going to give them 4 stars; but the new visitor centre is very nearly completed and should be opening later this year. When it's finished I think the Kelpies will deserve their fifth star. read more
A must visit when you are in Edinburgh! The Kelpies structure is really amazing in person and so are the mythical stories attached to them - an amazing modern engineering sculpture! The Kelpies are also part of a park where the locals come in regularly for a walk. read more
3 years ago
I really didn't appreciate just how amazing the Kelpies really are until we visited them over the weekend. It really is one of those things you have to see in person to appreciate! We arrived pretty early on a Saturday morning (around 11am) - later in the day it was really busy and there was a queue for the carpark so I'd advise early if you can! There's a carpark right nearby which is £2 and there is one which is free further away but it was full. It's a short walk over to the Kelpies - you can go over the hill or on the road and if you have mobility issues you can park right next to the visitor centre. We decided to do a tour and booked it in the visitors centre, £7 per adult but it's the only way to get inside the Kelpies so well worth it. The tour was 45 minutes long and really good - interesting, relaxed and I think you get a better experience for having done it. Going inside Duke was a real highlight and something I'll always remember. We also had some food in the visitors centre - if I was a harsher reviewer, I'd deduct a star for what was definitely the world's worst sausage roll. It was so greasy, and not just the pastry. The meat was greasy. Urgh. I actually feel a bit sick thinking about it. There's another stall on the other side of the Kelpies which sells coffee and ice cream. All up, this was a totally brilliant experience. I just loved it and we ended up staying for a good few hours. It would be a great place to bring your dog or a picnic, especially in nice weather. read more
7 years ago
Absolutely incredible. We saw them from the highway and were immediately drawn in. Parking is very reasonable at only £4 for the day. The kelpies themselves literally take your breath away. The park that they're in is dedicated to them. You can go up and actually touch and see inside of the sculptures. The visitor centre has a cute gift shop, cafe for quick bites, and a small informational room with interactive activities and a short documentary on how the kelpies were made. You can't miss these if you're driving through Scotland (literally... you can see them from the motorway). read more
If you can get to Falkirk to see these, it's totally worth it. I'm not one for throwing hyperbole about, but these magnificent sculptures are simply breathtaking. Standing about 100ft or 30m tall, there's two of the horse head sculptures on display. One is looking down upon the pond it sits on; nearby there's a sign declaring "Bow down your strong heads to taste the water" ; next to it is one staring at the sun with it's mouth open, with a sign nearby saying "Stretch up your long necks to face the sun". The story is that a Kelpie is a mythological creature that lives in a body of water, and takes on the form of a majestic horse when it's on land, tempting unsuspecting travellers to mount and ride them; when they have a victim, they dive into the water with their prize. We overheard this from a local, so straight from the horses' mouth (HA!) In any case, these sculptures are based on Clydesdale horses by local artist Andy Scott, and are the focal point of the Helix regeneration project. Well worth a trip just to see at the moment, although there are guided tours with experts that allow you into the sculptures to see inside; we didn't do that today, but will happily return and do it in the future. A visitor centre of sorts exists at the moment in the form of a temporary portacabin, but a proper bricks-and-mortar centre is being built and will open in 2015. One of the most unique and outstanding sights that Scotland has to offer. A must see. read more
"Let's go somewhere different for a walk". That was the main reason behind our visit to the Kelpies. I suggested it and before we knew it we were on our way. To be honest I really did not know what to expect. I had heard good things and also some folk suggesting it was a waste of money building them, but I went with a completely open mind. As you can see I have given them 5 stars. I ain't 100% sure what to say other than I found the site of them very impressive. They tower out of the ground and really make an impact on the skyline. Om my travels I have seen amazing ancient sites and impressive massive modern constructions, but these just seem a bit different. Modern but mythical... I think you need to see them for yourself to understand. Money well spent in my mind. Other than that. There is a canal to walk along. Some places to grab some food and plenty of room to walk your dog if you have one. read more
Took a wee drive up here on a lovely sunny day as never been up close to the kelpies and I was pretty impressed! We parked in the main car park next to the kelpies and paid £2 for the privilege as the wee car park as you enter the park was full. You can pay £7 for a guided tour into one of the sculptures but we werent that fussed as they are most impressive from the outside. We took a wee wander the park and stopped off for some ice cream. However the smell from the cafe at the back of the kelpies was no so pleasent - possibly due to the sewage bins out there. Overall it was a lovely way to spend a sunny saturday! read more
Ever since I heard of the plan of building them I was curious how the would look like. Standing in front of the three meter high versions at the Falkirk weel a few years ago I was totally impressed by the expression of the statues. Considering the thirty meter high versions couldn't be build by the sculptor himself, he could only "supervise", they did a "great job". Congrats to both Andy and the team building them. Leaving "The Kelpies" I am a bit jealous at everybody living in this area. read more
10 years ago
Transport yourself into a magical world - these mythical creatures will amaze you! Visible from the road as you approach the kelpies are huge metal structures that dominate the landscape. The walk up to them is breath taking as the kelpies get bigger and bigger until you are right underneath them. There is a tour inside but we didn't take this - instead we opted to walk all around the kelpies gasping at their beauty. read more
11 years ago
I had seen photos of the kelpies before I decided to go, and thought the effect might be diminished by that a bit, but they are just so impressive. Most sculptures would be impressive at that scale, but it's not only the size that makes them noteworthy, they're just so well done, every angle is interesting. Apparently they are based off of two actual kelpies, which I think comes through. Though cars are much more convenient, It is possible to get there using public transport, several busses get quite close so there was one available to and from the Scot-rail station about every 5 minutes, and using sat nav apps made it easy. I happened to go wandering through an industrial park, through a gate where a trail led through a small field, over a bridge and then onto the complex but...no one else seemed to do it that way. To be honest, I think my lil trek added to the effect. There were people with kids and dogs walking around, biking, whatever, but it definitely wasn't busy. There are a couple vendors on the perimeter, apparently there's a visitor centre coming this year (2015), but for now at least, it's free and just a really cool thing to visit. Also, if you google The Kelpies on Vimeo, there's a really cool time lapse video of the construction. read more
10 years ago
The Kelpies are two imposing and amazing 30 metres high horses head sculptures in stainless steel, part of The Helix park. It certainly deserves a visit, so prepare your camera phones and hit the road...preferably on a sunny day. They have a nice souvenir shop (a bit over priced though) and a café (no cash point ATM or cash back from the till, but credit/debit cards are accepted) run by friendly staff. A not-to-be-missed landmark in Falkirk! read more
7 years ago
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The Kelpies - culturalcenter - Updated May 2026
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